COPENHAGEN — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has told US President Donald Trump to "stop the threats" about taking over Greenland.

Frederiksen said "it makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the United States to take over Greenland", adding: "The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom".

“The Kingdom of Denmark — and thus Greenland — is part of NATO and is therefore covered by the alliance’s security guarantee. We already have a defense agreement between the Kingdom and the United States today, which gives the United States wide access to Greenland,” Frederiksen said on Sunday.

“I would therefore strongly urge the United States to stop the threats against a historically close ally and against another country and another people who have said very clearly that they are not for sale,” she said.

The warning from Frederiksen comes after Trump was quoted by The Atlantic magazine, saying, “We do need Greenland, absolutely.”

Her remarks also come after Katie Miller — the wife of one of Trump's aides, Stephen Miller — tweeted a map of Greenland in the colors of the American flag alongside the word "SOON".

Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of Greenland becoming an annexed part of the US, citing its strategic location and mineral wealth.

In her statement, posted on the Danish government website, Frederiksen said she was addressing the US "very directly".

Earlier the Danish ambassador to the US responded to the post by Ms Miller. a former aide to Trump during his first term, with a "friendly reminder" that the two countries were allies and saying Denmark expected respect for its territorial integrity.

The exchange comes after Trump ordered a military operation over the weekend that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

The operation came after months of US military buildup and threats against Venezuela, which the Trump administration claims is complicit in trafficking drugs to the US.

The US president has previously refused to rule out using force to secure control of Greenland, a vast island in the Arctic.

Trump has claimed that making it part of the United States would serve US security interests due to its strategic location and its abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors.

The Trump administration's recent move to appoint a special envoy to Greenland prompted anger in Denmark.

Greenland, which has a population of 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands.

While most Greenlanders favor eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US. — Agencies